kickerfish1

Outstanding review! Thanks for taking the time to post this.

Since your post referenced the word "best" without noting price, I would look strongly at shooter or tatsu. These premium floro lines are outstanding for bottom contact baits but don't come cheap. Tatsu seems to be the best overall line when looking at the key attributes of floro while the shooter gets the nod on sensitivity but lacks the handling qualities of tatsu.

Not true. I have a Sponge Bob and Barbie rod that would give your Snoopy rod a run for its money! Spooled both with Walmart premium floro, they can cast weightless banjo minnows a country mile!

Thanks for the feedback! Would love to hear your thoughts once you fish it. I know it is cold there but if you log any time on the water I would be interested to hear your thoughts. The only minor issue I would potentially have is how comfortable a handle like that would be over a few hours of usage. Great looking outfit!!!

Just a quick note... the recons that are on sale are the generation 1 rods. They differ from the generation in 3 areas. The hook keeper has been moved to where it should have been from the start and that is in front of the handle. Second the blank is now more finished as opposed to unfinished on the 1st generation rods. And lastly the logo is now more solid on the rod rather than the decal like pattern used before. There may be other changes I am forgetting... feel free to add any if you can think of them. Based upon what I have heard I would get the M1 if you want a jig and Texas rig rod only. The recon may be a bit more versatile and JDM like, but the actions of the M1 may fit your applications better.

What is your budget for the rod? I have a dobyns 705 CB glass fast action and love it for general cranking and sort of a do it all reaction bait rod. It is even good for topwater spooks and spinnerbaits. I have a buddy that has 5 of this same exact rod if that says anything. Retail is about $220 for the rod. I paid $160 new for mine and often you can find them during holiday sales for well under $200.

You may try shopping around for some non paddle style handle knobs that will fit your reel even if it isn't the same brand especially if you like everything else about the reel.

The best line? ...need more information than that. Are you talking about all purpose line? A good line for bottom contact baits? topwater? crankbaits? Depending upon what you plan on using the set up for will dictate what is a "good" choice for line. Also different lines will have different traits such as longevity, abrasian resistance, sensitivity, handling, breaking stregnth, etc... Trilene XL or is a good line to sort of do it all. However outside of its handling and topwater use it generally isn't thought of as a line that is "best" If you can be more specific and If you have a price limit that would help. Many premium lines will be very pricey...pushing $35 for a spool.

There was an article posted on the main page of the site. It has everything you need. An excellent read!

I am far from being a great power fisherman... ie moving baits like cranks but as far as I can tell you have 2 basic questions. 1. What colors to use? 2. What depth should I fish? For the first question it is difficult to answer. First baitfish color choices are typically good in just about any lakes but there are other forage bases present. Bream/bluegill/sunfish are common in most every lake. They represent a big part of a basses diet so this would be a logical choice. Also perch patterns seem to do well even in lakes where perch aren't present. If the lakes you fish have rock, they likely will have crayfish. There are many crayfish colored crank baits that will work well on rock bottoms. Second water clarity may dictate color choice. The less clarity the more visible the color choice while the clearer the water the more natural colors. For the second question I would suggest getting a good map of the lakes you fish. Figure out where key pieces of structure are... like points, drop offs, creek channels, brush piles, areas that have rocks, weeds, and brush together etc. Target these areas by breaking down the water column into different layers. 1. Shallow cranks 2. Medium cranks 3. Deeper cranks 4. Lipless cranks like rattle traps 5. Suspending jerkbaits Buy a few of each of theses types to use for different situations. This will get you started with crankbait fishing. Do some experimenting to get a feel for what works best. However my best advice would be to learn plastics fishing as soon as you feel comfortable with it. I realize this is the area with numerous techniques and confusion exists but 9 times out of 10 I catch more and better fish on these baits. Since you are a former trout angler you will likely have the patience for it just need to get the techniques down. Also note that crankbaits and the treble hook baits seem to fish best with a rod with medium to medium heavy power and moderate action. This type of rod will have a bit more give in the blank to keep fish pinned in order to prevent the hooks from ripping out. The other piece of advice would be to read as much as you can. Do Google searches for crankbait fishing and also read as many articles as you can. You can start with this site and go from there. Good luck

Keep up the great work!

I am 50/50 with seagar and sunline but sunline was not an option.

From talking to reel techs many will tell you once you meet/exceed the $100 price point most reels out there are solid quality. I don't really think there is a bad reel in the list you provided but rather minor differences. These differences are found in the reels brakes, weight of the reel, and exterior appearance, gear ratio, etc... Best thing to do would be to try each reel in your local shop. See if one feels more comfortable mounted on a rod or if one palms better in your hands. Also adjust the brakes of each to see what type of process you have to go through to make changes. Set a list of criteria for the reel and see what reel fulfills the most criteria and purchase that reel. I have used the Lews, shimano, and Okuma. I like certain things about each reel but if I could only get one I would likely take the shimano with the okuma a close second.

Not sure what you are asking...your first sentence says looking for an all around rod but your last sentence seems to indicate two rods. How many rods do you need? When you say nice rods but not top of the line what price range does the mean. You mention Duckett so maybe around $150 +/-. Above the budget rods but below where the higher end rods start. I would give a strong look to phenix recon and M1 series. My second choice would be the Powell endurance series. If I was picking only one rod the above techniques I would get the 7'1 MH fast action phenix rod. It would be versatile enough for the techniques above.

Nice review! Glad you like it. When it goes on sale it is really a good deal. Sensitivity is between an imx and glx per Vince at phenix rods so I would agree with between good and great. Light weight, impressive looks, and sensitivity above its price point makes it a good choice.

A very good post RR! This will help eliminate some confusion.

Are you referring to the Bantam Chronarch? A silver finished reel with a "hood" that pops up like a car, if you will. If so, I too, have this very reel and it still is operating strong. I also have a chronarch 100sf that is absolutely perfect mechanically and the retrieve is so buttery smooth you hardly know your engaging the handle. Can't speak for the new e series but if they are like the older chronarchs it will last for years if regularly maintained.

You are correct! The curado e and Abu winch both were towards the top in the different categories evaluated. If you are on the fence maybe buy both brands of reel and perform your own evaluation. After you feel like you have identified the better reel you can sell the other. I am doing a similar test but with high end floro lines this spring. However I wont be selling the line(s) I dislike.

Besides the senko and fluke what are your favorite baits to rig weightless that you don't hear about or think of rigging that way? I will start with the strike king rodent on a 4/0 EWG hook. Your turn..

Great post! The recon is a very sensitive rod and lightweight rod for its price point. Have you fished one by chance to compare it to the M1? Would love to hear about sensitivity, balance, and the tip section of how the rods compare. I too like the elite tech... excellent choice in its price point. Fenwick got this rod line correct. The dobyns rods weigh slightly more for several reasons. The first is all the cosmetic bling on the rods and secondly they balance better than any rod I have fished. That is one thing Gary takes pride in his rod lines.

X2 on the falcon boxes for terminal rigging.

It wasn't noted in your post but I assume you want a spinning rod over a casting rod? What rod were using prior that you didn't care for? I am pretty impressed with the Fenwick elite tech smallmouth series rods. They offer a 6'9 medium XF rod that would be perfect. Price on the rod is $129 but I have seen these rods for $69. Throw in a lifetime warranty and I believe through the end of December fenwick will give you a hooded sweatshirt for $10 and it is a very good buy. I have two elite tech rods and for the price they fish very good!

Sharp looking outfit. Be sure to give us your feedback of the M1...

Like anything the buyer should be careful. One persons definition of good condition or an 8 out of 10 may not be the same to someone else. Buying new at discounted prices either via sales prices or closeout prices is my preferred means of buying rods or reels. Also note that most rod warranties may not transfer over to a "new" owner. If you break the rod or it fails you may not be able to simply ship the rod and pay $60 for a new rod. For reels if the owner has properly maintained the reel internally and not abused the reel externally you can usually get some good deals. I would be more likely to buy a used reel from a trusted seller than buying a used high end rod simply from a warranty standpoint. Worst case scenario is that I have to pay $25 for a professional reel service shop to get it mechanically perfect. One other thing is make sure you get pictures of the rods or reels. This will at least validate the cosmetic condition of the item. I wouldn't hesitate to buy used but just be careful...

This is kind of an odd post. I can't recall ever seeing someone wanting to downgrade their rod aresenal other than for pure financial reasons or possibly if they had a change of rod sponsors. But back to the topic at hand you have many options. I would consider St. Croix Avid rods, Powell Endurance, Phenix Recon, or Dobyns Savy rod lines. They each can be had on sale for under $150. Frankily without knowing what criteria is important to you in a rod and whether you want all rods to be from the same series it is hard to steer you in the right direction as some of these manufacturers have more technique specific rods to select from. Dobyns will balance the best and I love the versatility, the recons will be the lightest but a touch tip heavy, the endurance is great quality and pretty sensitive, the avid is fairly light and sensitive but lacks modern looks if that is important. They all have lifetime warranties and are very solid rods. Of the above rods I feel the most sensitive is the recon followed closely by the avid. This is just my opinion and the sensitivity of these rods will be different for various anglers.